The Government must make it a priority to investigate whether there is price gouging in the electric vehicle charging market, according to Social Democrats energy spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore said:
“Last week, we learned that the cost of charging an EV at Ionity public charging points was just as high as filling a car with petrol or diesel, removing one of the key incentives encouraging drivers to go electric.
“Today, we hear that the country’s largest EV public charging chain, ESB, has hiked prices by up to 14%, making charging your vehicle more expensive than if you were to buy petrol or diesel. This is outrageous.
“EVs were an attractive prospect for drivers for two reasons: they’re more environmentally friendly than cars which run on petrol or diesel, and they were cheaper to run than their fossil fuel counterparts.
“Now, EVs have somehow become more expensive than traditional vehicles. There is no good reason for this to be the case.
“The price of electricity at public charging points now far exceeds the cost of electricity in Irish households, which is already the most expensive in Europe. These prices are causing significant strain for families, especially at a time when households are being fleeced from all angles, from supermarket checkouts to gas and electricity bills.
“I am once again calling on the Government to investigate if there is price gouging in the EV charging market. EVs must be economically viable to adopt and run, and cheaper than petrol and diesel, if people are going to switch to them.”
June 30th, 2026